Growth
by xX12Anonymous97Xx
Summary: The second story of a planned series, featuring a young Balto as he tries to live and grow in a world that hates him.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

(Ha, I was able to stay away from this for all of five hours. Although not necessary, I suggest that if you haven't, to read my other story, 'Balto: Beginnings' first. This is a sequel to that. R&R please, hope y'all enjoy it.)

It only reinforced his belief that everyone in the world hated him as four month old Balto was chased away from yet another wolf pack, a few new bites and scratches added to his already quite extensive collection. He ran away as fast as he could, laughter echoing after him. He'd learned at only a month the difference between a dog and a wolf, and that he was both. After his mother had left him, he'd wandered around for a few days before being found by a human. He'd then been taken to the same village that, unbeknownst to him, was the same village where his parents had met.

There he'd been allowed to join in with another family of dogs, who'd fed him and allowed him to grow with their pups. The mother had not the heart to tell him about his difference, and it was only after others began abusing him because of said difference that she told him why. Balto had quickly learned that dogs didn't want him, so he'd abandoned that village as soon as he was old enough to go out alone. Then he'd searched for a wolf pack. He'd found a few, but the result was always the same. His usually being abused and then chased away.

When Balto was sure he'd run far enough, he stopped and crawled underneath an evergreen tree. He had no idea where to go, or even what to do. He was a horrible hunter, and hadn't eaten for a few days at least. If starvation didn't kill him soon, then a wolf or dog surely would. Balto rested a few minutes, regaining his breath, before pushing himself up and continuing on. What for, he had no idea, but there had to be someone out there that cared for him. And as little of a chance there was, he also held on to the hope that he might happen across or be found by his mother or father.

Balto still had no idea why they'd left him; he was too young to remember much else besides his parents' gentle care for him. He knew that they'd loved him, so why had they left him? Often times they were what he blamed, for if they hadn't left him he'd be safe right now. Had they really hated him? Balto knew that it was unfair to blame his parents though, he knew deep down that it'd been because of something beyond their control that they'd been forced to give him up, and because of this he was a lot more knowledgeable in the cruelties of the world than any pup his age. Often times thinking like this was the only thing that got him through, if only so he could grow up some day and say to the world, 'Ha, despite all of you laughing in my face, I still managed to grow up.'

Anymore though, even that was failing to help him. What was the point of living if no one was there to care for you? _Might as well die, _he'd thought, _maybe that's the best way for me to help this world_. More than a few times the thought of suicide had crossed Balto's young mind, and it was at times like these, just after being chased away from yet another potential home, that the prospect of it and its benefits weighed strongly on his mind. What he always told himself, and what he told himself this time, was that if there was a place out there, somewhere he could be accepted, then he'd be missing out on it, betraying it if you will.

Balto repeated these thoughts in his head a few times before standing up again, determined to find somewhere he would be accepted. It was very possible he was standing on his last legs though, as if he didn't find food soon he'd be in some serious trouble. Balto stood up, choosing a direction at random and started off towards it, and hopefully towards that place where he'd be accepted.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Maybe the folks in this town will be different," Balto told himself.

After two days of almost nonstop walking, he was tired, and definitely in need of food. He sat, hiding outside of the small town of Nome, understandably weary about going in. He simply sat and listened as the population of the town went about whatever business they had to take care of on that bright, warm, sunny day. He saw many dogs, old and young, all seeming to get along quite well with each other. Balto so desperately wished he could be among them, just to have someone to speak to. The still fresh cut on his shoulder reminded him what happened when he tried to make friends though, so Balto was content to sit outside of the town and just listen, hoping that perhaps someone would stumble upon him.

The horrible hunger pains in Balto's belly though, served as an ever-present reminder of his need to find food, and some of the wondrous smells coming from the town certainly didn't help. Maybe he could sneak in there and grab something. Not that it mattered if anyone found him though, perhaps it would actually be better, they could just put him out of his misery. The thought of actually dying was very frightening, but the eternal peace seemed like it would be almost worth it… no more pain, hunger, hate…

_No, do not think like that. You will survive, and someday, somehow, someway, someone will care. You'll be able to laugh in their faces and say 'Ha, I won.' _With a newfound determination, Balto pushed himself up and strolled into town, making his posture as confident as possible. Said confidence quickly faded though, when he noticed how everyone, dogs and humans alike, stared at him. It was then that Balto realized truly how small and insignificant he was compared to the seemingly huge buildings and the weary citizens. Not watching where he was going, Balto walked right into a group of young dogs and their leader, a black malamute that would soon strike fear into the heart of little Balto.

"Watch where you're… well, well, well, a little far from our home, aren't we wolfy?" the black dog teased.

"I'm not sure something like this even _has _a place to call home." The whole group laughed at that. This upset Balto because of how true it was, and he curled himself up into a little ball, sniffing and crying to himself as quietly as he could. No one did anything to help him.

"You're right, Nikki! What's the matter little mutt, did your mother not want you because of how ugly you are?"

A small growl sounded deep inside of Balto's throat. That had touched a nerve, the one that wondered why he had been abandoned. He so very much wished he could remember, and what that dog had just said could very likely be true.

"Getting angry?" the black dog taunted again.

"Please… I just want food…" Balto whispered, so quietly it was a strain for those around him to hear.

"We don't want your mangy paws anywhere near our food, or for that matter, our town. I'll give you once chance, once chance to leave here and not return."

"I just want-"

"You aren't touching our food!"

Steel hit Balto hard, his claw leaving yet another injury on Balto's left cheek. The little pup was sent tumbling from the blow, but despite this managed to somehow right himself and run unsteadily out of town, laughter following him all the way out. Balto ran west towards the ocean. He'd never seen it before, and at any other time would've been quite excited. As it were though, he was presently just looking for somewhere to 'drown' his troubles, and where better to do it than the ocean?

An old and long since abandon boat sat about a hundred yards from the shore, it was sunken into the sand and tilted slightly. A single plank allowed someone to crawl carefully up onto said boat, and it would've made the perfect hiding place. Balto simply went around it and continued towards the ocean. Upon reaching it he staggered a few steps, completely exhausted from having run from the town to here in such a short time. He fell to the ground, allowing the salt water to clean his newest injury. It stung his eyes and the cut, but the pain felt strangely pleasing at that moment.

Balto crawled further into the water and let the peaceful waves wash over his whole body. He stuck his head under, and even though that just made the pain worse, couldn't bring himself to reemerge. He forced himself to stay down, eventually working up the courage to suck in a breath of salt water. Balto couldn't take that though, and he was up immediately coughing the water out of his body. It had enough of an effect though, and the blackness began to consume him. The world felt so very far away, so Balto barely noticed when someone lifted him out of the water, as by that time, he'd been completely consumed by the darkness.

…

Nothing hurt anymore, everything was completely dry.

_Am I dead?_

Balto opened his eyes and saw that he was on the boat he'd seen earlier. He panicked, how had he gotten here? Balto tried to rise to his feet, but didn't quite have the energy. Days without food, the treatment he had received, along with his earlier suicide attempt had taken quite a toll on Balto's little body.

"Calm down little one." A heavily accented voice said.

"What? Who's there?" Balto began to panic, who was this? And what did they want?

"My name is Boris." A Russian goose waddled out from somewhere on the boat, pointing a feathered wing and almost poking Balto's nose with it. "And you, you must have a name too?"

"Uhm, my name is… its Balto."

"Now tell me young Balto, what possible reason could a pup such as yourself have for wanting to drown himself! You must have a mother somewhere, worried sick about you!"

"No, I don't." Balto said, his soft voice shaking. "She abandoned me. I think she hated me, everyone hates me. I have nowhere to go, so I'd rather die than continue living, if life is about hating those different from you."

Boris hung his head and placed a wing on Balto.

"You can stay here with me; heaven knows I need some company. What with being afraid to fly and all…"

"You don't know how to fly?" Balto asked incredulously.

"I know how to fly, but I'm afraid of heights…"

That managed to elicit a small laugh from Balto, which was exactly what Boris had been trying to do.

"A bird afraid of heights… I'd give anything to fly just once. Just to be able to soar above it all and to look down on everything that looks down on me…"

"Don't give up on your dreams, kid. Just because some narrow minded dogs don't like you isn't a reason to quit."

"I know… but dogs and wolves hate me. Wolves see too much dog, dogs see the wolf."

"I don't hate you; in fact, I think you're kind of nice. As long as you don't try to eat me of course…" Boris said, pretending to be afraid.

That brought out another small laugh from Balto. "You don't have to be afraid, I'm a horrible hunter."

"I can tell…" Boris said, "You're so skinny, we need to find you some food."

Balto nodded his agreement. "But we can't go into town; a dog there said I'm not allowed to touch the food."

"We have to. You cannot learn how to hunt without energy to power you. I've been into that town a number of times, never been caught. Just follow me, and I think we'll be okay."

The sun was already beginning to set, the fiery ball making the whole ocean seem to glow red. It was a beautiful scene, and for once Balto found himself enjoying it. Maybe he could live here. Although he would've preferred a dog or wolf to care about him any day, he was quite lucky to have Boris. Someone that even though he'd known Balto for all of ten minutes, was already willing to risk going into town just to get him some food.

"Balto, are you coming?"

Balto turned away from the sunset, finding Boris already off the boat and making his way toward the town. He took one last glance at the setting sun before turning to follow Boris, hopefully on his way to find some food.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

(WARNING!: The following chapter contains a few swear words, just letting y'all know.)

Balto's confidence and happiness was boosted quite a lot. He was no longer starving, and hadn't even been seen. Although it had been pretty close, Boris had proved to be enough of a distraction to allow Balto to escape unseen. They had both returned to their old boat that night happier than they'd been in quite a while. Balto had learned that Boris was also sort of an outcast. Since he didn't like to fly, he'd been abandoned by his kin, often being taunted and teased himself.

_Maybe we can form an outcast gang, _Balto thought to himself, _gather up all the outcasts we can find and make friends. _

Upon arriving back at his new home, Boris had given Balto and old blanket. It was nice, because now he didn't have to sleep on the hard wood deck. Boris already had a den of his own made up in a hidden portion of the structure, and allowed Balto to do whatever he pleased with the upper deck. Balto pulled the old threadbare blanket into a corner, making himself a nice little nest. He then flipped over onto his back, taking a moment to gaze up at the stars.

There were so many up there, he wondered what they all were made of, how far away they were… Balto blinked tiredly and tried to hide himself as deep as he could in his nest. Only when he felt safe enough did he allow himself to go to sleep.

…

The weeks passed slowly but surely for Balto and Boris. Although the goose did his best to teach young Balto how to hunt, he could only show so much. As it went on, Balto had to go to town for his food a lot more than he would've liked. Although the food there was _good, _it came at a big price. About seventy percent of the time he would end up getting caught, and then being abused in some way, usually not physically, but the words hurt almost as much as any injury could. Although Boris told him to ignore it, and Balto did his best to do so, the pain and punishment was eating away at him, a little bit at a time.

The black malamute Balto quickly learned to be named Steele was often the source of his problems and abuse, he and his gang. They were only a year older than Balto, and felt they had a lot to prove in how worthy and experienced they were, and by torturing Balto they felt they were proving such things. While it really didn't help them much as they'd hoped, others never objected to their torturing the pup and would occasionally praise them.

That was what really hurt the most. How everyone could just sit there and not even care about his being abused was beyond Balto. He was a very young dog, he'd learned a lot from his life, and wondered why they feared him so. He knew it was because of his difference, heritage… but what did that have to do with anything? Someone should be judged on their heart and their intentions, not because of what they _were. _

This was what hurt him the most, when his heritage was attacked. He had no idea what could be true or if it was true, and that not knowing was what really hurt, not so much the attacks. Though he'd managed to make it through two of said attacks, the third time was Steele's lucky time, or unlucky, whichever way one preferred to look at it.

One late evening, Balto had snuck into town unnoticed, getting himself something to eat. Just after he'd finished it happened. They trapped him in an alley. There were six dogs, two Balto had never seen before. Balto had though he was ready for any and all possible torment, but he was proven wrong quite quickly.

"Yo Balto, we've got a message from yer mother." The one known as Nikki said. With that, the whole group tilted their heads back and let out the most horrible, insulting howls. Balto just looked at them questioningly.

"Need a translation? What she said was that she was ashamed of having such an ugly mutt as a son and-"

With an enraged growl, Balto flung himself at the nearest dog, which just so happened to be Steele himself. He latched on to the dogs leg, and although he'd grown substantially since their first meeting, Steele was still more than twice Balto's weight. The malamute easily lifted him and slammed him into the nearest building, causing Balto's teeth to be torn out.

He cursed at the blood running down his foreleg, and proceeded to beat the one who'd caused it. His gang all watched, unsure of what to do. They'd never seen Steele this intense and angry before, and it scared them. Balto tried to scan the environment, desperate for some way to escape. He saw a small hole that it was possible he could shelter in, about five feet away from him.

Powered by a short burst of adrenaline, Balto put a paw up and caught Steele's next blow, staring down the big dog for a short moment. Balto then kicked him in the face, and was able to drag his beaten body into shelter before anyone else caught him.

Steele growled in rage when he found out that the place was too small for him to get into, and he found Balto just out of his reach, the wolf dogs yellow eyes wide with fear as he realized what he'd just done Steele didn't give up trying to get the little mutt out, it had just bitten him! Even when his master called out, the call fell upon deaf ears.

"Get out here you little shit!" Steele snarled.

Nikki tried to intervene, approaching Steele wearily. "Boss, I think he's had enough, we really should go…"

Steele gave Nikki a long, hard stare before relenting.

"If I ever see you again-" he was cut off by another call from his master, this time much sharper.

"I will beat you so hard your parents will wish they hadn't been born." The malamute finished before turning on a whim, hurrying off before his master got even angrier, not even looking back. Nikki, Kaltag, and Star did look back though, each feeling at least a little bit guilty for the mistreatment of Balto. They didn't think he deserved it, but didn't dare say anything, lest the same treatment be bestowed upon them.

Balto stayed in his hiding place for a long while, letting the pain from his most recent abuse go away. After his initial adrenaline rush, the pain had begun to appear, and his whole body felt bruised. It probably was. After the sun had sent and it was well into the night, did Balto crawl out and stretch himself out. He'd have to remember that hiding place, and perhaps find some new ones. Balto climbed the nearest roof and proceeded to cross town, going above everyone's heads. It was something he'd become quite accustomed to, and had also quite improved his abilities to be silent and to jump, which in turn helped him become a better hunter.

After reaching the last building he slid down the roof and landed quietly, making his way across the field towards his home. He especially loved it when the grass gave way to the sand, as the sand felt so cool beneath his paws at night. Balto padded up the board to find Boris, pacing the boat.

"Balto, there you are! I was wondering if something happened… they beat you again, didn't they."

Balto nodded, knowing he didn't have to answer. A sudden wave of hate and anger came upon him, something he'd never really had before.

"I hate them. I hate everyone."

"Now Balto, don't say that-"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THE POINT?"

He whirled around, smashing his head into the wall. Boris tried to calm him down, but his voice was lost amongst the sound of Balto's own blood flowing through his ears.

"Balto!" Boris shouted, wrapping his surprisingly strong wings around said wolf dogs chest, preventing him from hitting himself yet again.

"Balto, look at me!"

"I want to kill them! Every damn one of them!"

"Balto, listen to me! By doing that you'd only be doing what they want you to do, becoming what they think you'll become." Boris calmed down a little, his tone softening. "You can prove them wrong, Balto. Don't let yourself become the killer they think you'll become. They stereotype you, and that's not fair. Their treatment is what usually _causes _the killers, but you can rise above that. I promise you, one day you will feel good about yourself."

"But that's not now… I'm so sick of it. Why can't you just let me die?"

"If you really want that, then I won't try to stop you. But that's not worth it, you're cheating yourself, you're cheating life, and… you'd be cheating me. I think of you like a son, and I don't want to lose you."

Balto forced himself to calm down.

"Thank you, I don't think I'd make it through this without you."

"It's nothing, Balto. Now you go get yourself some rest, you look like you need it."

Balto nodded, "I will."

Boris accepted that, and retreated quietly into his den. Balto did the same, going to sit down on the blanket he'd come to cherish. He glanced up at the sky above him, a silent with making its way up to the stars.

_Please, show me someone that cares._

Balto curled up and was asleep within a few moments. Somewhere high above his head, a single orb of light streaked across the night sky, leaving a brilliant trail of light in its wake.

...

The following note is going to be a little on the longer side, so if you don't feel like reading it, don't. This could be a shorter story with a lot of time skipping, as there's really not too much to explain (from my view anyway) about Balto's growing up. It's mostly him going into town, being tormented, being tormented again, and hey! Being tormented some more! I guess this is more about how he get's through that, with the help of a few new friends, and another who was hinted at if you remember a certain part in my previous story...

On that note, does anyone know the names for Rosy's parents, if there are any set names?

I was also thinking of making this extend through the first movie, and I would attempt to novelize said film. I have another idea for a story _after_ the movie... but we'll see. I'll figure something out.

As always, hope y'all have enjoyed. Until next time,

-may peace be with you all.

ANonymouS


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Boris went to town the next day, where he heard that Balto had attacked Steele. Rumors were flying about, all of them bad. Although Boris wouldn't know exactly what was true and what wasn't, at least not until he got back to ask Balto. He knew one thing though, Balto wouldn't be safe in the town for a while, maybe not ever again. Not that it had been safe before… but at least he hadn't had everyone wanting a piece of him.

Even the humans were angry. Most notably was the owner of Steele, as it was his dog that had been bitten by the hated Balto. He had said, and Boris had heard it with his own ears, that "I'm going to hunt that mutt down and shoot it." That was a nice way of putting what Boris had heard. The goose had managed then to escape from town, the new information weighing heavily on his mind. He'd barely averted a disaster last night with Balto, and feared that he'd only delayed the inevitable. It was very possible Balto was a ticking time bomb, just waiting to go off.

When he reached their home again, he found Balto still sleeping peacefully in his place. The wolf-dog looked so peaceful, and so innocent; undeserving of the horrible treatment that everyone bestowed upon him. He could understand Balto's feelings. The wolf-dog felt that his situation was lose-lose. If he was good, he got tortured, if he was bad, he still got tortured, but maybe he felt that by being bad, he could make them feel a little of his pain.

As Boris watched as the wolf-dog slowly uncurled himself, stretching and letting out a soft 'hmmm' as he did so. Balto's yellow eyes looked around unsurely before settling on Boris.

"About what you said last night… you are right. But… I've already attacked Steele." Balto said, keeping his eyes averted from Boris.

"I know."

"You do?"

"I went into town this morning. Everyone wants a part of you Balto, you're going to have to be careful for a while, and hopefully this will cool down. Maybe we should search for a new home?"

"Who's we?" Balto asked suspiciously.

"You and I of course!"

"Oh no, I would not allow you to leave your home because of me."

"Well then I'd follow you. You need someone to take care of you." Boris teased.

"Yes, I know. Thank you."

"Oh, it's nothing Balto."

…

The next weeks passed by relatively slowly. Balto had very little to do, and had taken to running. He often found that jogging down the beach and letting himself run, feeling the cool ocean breeze as it blew through his fur, the fire in his lungs as he ran… it was amazing, and often a very good stress reliever. Balto was also forced to do a lot more hunting. He still wasn't too good, but was slowly improving. There wasn't quite enough prey around his home though, so he was often forced to go further than he would've liked.

It was on a hunt such as that when he caught scent of something he hadn't found for almost four months. It was another wolf. Where the fields stopped and the forest started, about three miles outside of town in any direction, and on the north side of said town was where Balto found the sent. It was only a few hours old, and it frightened him a bit. A town full of spiteful dogs and people was bad enough, and he surely didn't need any more potential abusers. Though he still had the lingering hope that maybe they'd accept him and make him part of their pack, Balto knew better by now that the possibility of that happening was next to none. So he simply turned around and hurried back to Boris to tell him the news.

When he was still a little ways off, Balto heard a shrill cry that sounded like it was coming from Boris. He sprinted the rest of the way, kicking up dirt behind him. He climbed the plank with one leap, and found two polar bear cubs. The larger one was busy hugging Boris, and said goose didn't like it one bit. He was grateful when Balto showed up, as the bear dropped him almost immediately upon seeing Balto.

"Who's this Uncle Boris?" the smaller bear asked, looking slightly weary.

"Muk, Luk, this is Balto."

The bigger bear, the one who'd been holding Boris pointed at Balto and mumbled something incomprehensible to both Balto and Boris in companion's ear.

"That's right we've heard that name before! There was someone just yesterday; he asked us if we knew anyone who used the name of Balto!"

Balto glanced at Boris, who looked just as confused as he was.

"Who asked you this?" Boris inquired, hoping to get more information out of the bears. Muk looked back at Luk, who spoke again in what Balto assumed was his own form of language.

"Yes, Luk remembers. He was a big wolf, and he scared us at first. He had fur as black as night and the most striking green eyes you'd ever seen! He asked us if we'd seen anyone by the name of Balto. We told him no but that we'd watch for someone with that name. Now we've found you!"

"What was his name?"

"He didn't tell us that… and now that I think about it, he didn't even tell us where we could find him."

Balto's ears lowered in disappointment. He was hoping that maybe it was one of his parents or relatives searching for him at long last. He didn't remember much, but a black wolf… it just didn't sound right.

"I'm sorry Balto." Muk said compassionately, seeming to know what Balto was feeling, "If it makes you feel any better we lost our mother too… so I guess we can all be outcasts together."

"Yeah, I guess so." Balto remarked, feeling slightly better. He had two new friends and someone out there who cared enough to search for him. He briefly wondered if the scent he'd found earlier was the same as the wolf these two bears were talking about, and if it was then that meant he was getting close. Balto wasn't sure what to feel, on one side he felt extremely happy that he was being searched for, but on the other… Well, there could be more than one being with the name of Balto, and what if they were searching for him for different reasons?

His caution coupled with the experience of his life had taught him to be weary and extremely cautious, and he would be with this situation. It was very possible that this wolf wanted to kill him, perhaps for a deed committed before he'd been born? Boris noticed the puzzled look on Balto's face, and asked him what he was thinking about.

"When I was out hunting, I found a scent trail of a wolf, one I've never scented before. I'm wondering, if you two don't mind, could you come and see if it's the same wolf you met? If you remember that is…"

Luk nodded enthusiastically, and Muk followed suite. "We'd love to help you Balto!"

Balto led the whole group to where he'd found the scent trail. They talked along the way, and Balto learned that the two bears had more in common with him than he'd previously thought. They were brothers, had been separated from their mother at a young age, and were outcasts just like he.

"Here it is." Balto said when they reached the trail.

Luk put his nose to the ground, his brother standing beside him, looking quite anxious. After a minute, Luk stood back up and said something else.

"He says it is the same wolf!"

"What do we do now? Do we try to find him, or wait?"

As much as Balto wanted to search for the wolf, something in his gut told him that doing so would put not only he, but all of his friends in danger too.

"I say we wait." Balto said, his tone suddenly turning quite cold.

The group turned around, going away from the area as Balto instructed. In the forest, a black wolf yawned, showing off all of his sharp, pointed white teeth.

"The last of Storm's wretched spawn," Night growled, "will soon be dead."

The black wolf turned away, a pure evil glint in his eye.

"I can't wait to tell the pack about this…"

Night's eyes glinted with an evil light as he turned to go back where his new pack was. After his banishment from his previous home, he'd taken the time to formulate a group, vowing to return and destroy Storm, the dog that'd stolen Aniu from him.

He had arrived only minutes after the hunters had gotten done ravaging Makota's pack, and he'd found the old alpha wolf dead among his pack mates. Storm and Aniu had escaped, only for the stupid dog to fall into one of the traps, which then let the hunters catch him and the pup he'd been carrying. He'd told Aniu to run, and she had done so, carrying the other pup with her. The white wolf had then hidden her son, knowing that if she didn't it was very likely that both of them would die. That was where she'd been wrong.

No one had counted on Night showing up. He and his group were able to turn the hunters away, only taking one loss. What they had gained though far outweighed the wolf they'd lost. Distracting the hunters had saved Aniu's life, and they had then taken her as a prisoner. She was treated exceptionally well, but not ever given enough food so as to keep her weak enough to subdue if the need ever arose.

The white wolf still had won small battle though; her son was still safe of Night's wrath, as by the time they'd been able to force his location out of her the little pup had already wandered off. He wouldn't be safe for much longer, though. Night would have some fun telling Aniu they were finally going to catch him.

When night got back to the area where the rest of his group was staying, most of them rose to greet him, and all of them were alert. They were almost as excited to catch Balto as he was. Night had picked his group carefully, choosing those that hated dogs and wolf dogs with as strong a passion as his, and thus wouldn't have any problem killing them. It wasn't that Night really hated dogs… only when they strayed outside of where they were supposed to be. Like Storm had. That was the real reason Night was after Balto, he wanted every trace of that pathetic husky's blood cleaned off the earth.

Twenty two wolves, excluding Aniu, rested their eyes upon Night, waiting patiently for whatever he had to say.

"We've got him." That was all Night had to say to cause the group to go wild. They had no idea of their leader's personal hate for this wolf-dog; they simply liked killing the pathetic things that they thought made their world so horrible. Night's eyes met Aniu's, and he saw the fear and horror in her very soul. It was the first time that made him really stop and think.

_Why am I doing this? Do they really deserve this? If I had really cared about Aniu wouldn't I have been okay with her choice?_

These kinds of questions ravaged his mind, and the wolf's brow furrowed as he thought, the evil in his eyes fading, being replaced by the old kind and gentle Aniu had once known and seen. A small bit of hope burned in her chest, so desperately praying that Night would realize what he was doing.

"When do we go sir?"

And with that question, any and all of the good left in Night vanished into the now black pit of his soul. His name described it, a soul as black as night.

"Restrain her."

A few wolves grinned happily, taking Aniu over to a chain they had found. It was what they used to restrain Aniu when most of the group was going to be out. The white wolf struggled and fought with everything she had, but her malnourished self was no match for the four that held her down. The chain wrapping around her neck seemed to choke her as the four backed away quickly.

"You two," Night ordered, pointing at a couple wolves, "stay here and watch her."

The two nodded glumly, upset that they wouldn't be able to take part in the main event. Aniu pleaded and begged, but it fell on deaf ears as the rest of the group turned away to go find Balto. She tried howling, but she was too weak to manage even that, taking to lunging and tugging at the chain around her. It jerked her back every single time, slicing into the fur around her neck, staining her whole chest in dark crimson. This didn't stop the white wolf; she just kept at it until she could do no more, falling to the ground. Even then she still jerked at the chain. The wolves who were watching her decided it had gone on long enough, and stopped her from harming herself more.

Aniu could only hope now that Balto would be able to get away.

...

They're still alive? Yes, they're still alive. Just a short part in here, as we're only going to see them next chapter, but I wanted to show that they are still alive. Just me tryin' to keep all the interest so y'all will continue to read. If I continue with my plan now, Night is no where near done in my series.

On a completely random note though, I was looking through A&O crossovers today, and found one called 'Gateway', written by Samsonite Wolfe which is crossed over with another Valve game called Portal. I'd just like to say that if you're reading this Samsonite... please update that story! I wanna see Kate in the world of Portal!

ANonymouS


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Since leaving the area that the mysterious wolf had been in, Balto had felt a sense of impending doom. Something bad was going to happen, he could feel it, even almost taste it in the air. Boris had thought Balto was upset over something though, so when the two polar bears had finally left, Boris tried to cheer Balto up. First he needed to know what was wrong.

"Something's on your mind Balto, what is it?"

"I just feel… no, I know something bad is going to happen."

Boris went to reply, but was beaten to it.

"Keen senses, young one, too bad they're about to go to waste." A voice said. Its owner was a good sized black wolf who stalked up onto the boat, a whole group behind him. The wolves' eyes glittered as they surrounded their prey, trapping them inside the boats small cabin.

"You wouldn't remember me, Balto. My name is Night; I knew your mother and father, both of which are now dead." It was a lie designed to anger Balto. All said wolf dog did was stare curiously at Night.

"I don't remember what happened to them… how did they die?"

"Oh? I, no; we killed them, slowly and painfully."

Balto felt one of Boris feathered wings brush him lightly, telling him not to do anything rash. The wolf dog considered the story. It was very possible what this… Night said was true, and that was why he'd been abandoned, so he'd be kept safe from this wolf and his pack. That meant his parents had died for him. Not that it mattered now… but he was glad that he finally knew. Night's amusement grew when he saw the wolf dog accept the lie as the truth.

"Why?" Balto asked in an almost totally unemotional tone, "Why couldn't you have just killed me?"

"Because they would just continue to make more of the little mutts like you. Destroy the source and then the products." Turning to a wolf on his right, Night whispered something in his ear, and he nodded. The others tightened the circle around Balto and Boris, trapping them in a corner. Balto knew that this was probably the end, but he had one last thing to try.

"Alright then, kill me." Balto was afraid, but he didn't show it. He forced himself to sound as certain and unafraid as he could. "I'm not afraid to die. The torture you'll put me through is only temporary, but the peace death will bring to me is permanent. And there is nothing more appealing to me than permanent peace. I hate my life. So go on, kill me."

Balto stood, leaving himself completely open to attack. He forced himself to stand firm, even though he very much wanted to turn and run.

"Living is the worst torture I've ever been through, so come on, kill me!"

Balto saw something flash in Night's eyes, and he felt a small bit of hope flare up inside of him. His ploy seemed to be working.

"With pleasure." Night stated, the pure evil in everything about him making Balto's blood run cold.

"We need to go, there's a-"the wolf was cut off as the shot from a rifle rang out, the bullets momentum throwing its victim off the edge of the boat. Night shot Balto a hate filled glare, one the wolf dog would remember for the rest of his life, and he shrunk back immediately. This was the second time hunters had taken Night's pleasure!

It was only a single man, and the wolves could've taken him eventually, but no one wanted to be the few that he would be able to shoot first. So they all leapt off the boat, taking off towards the safety the forest provided. Two more fell before they were at a safe distance.

The man was none other than Steele's owner, and he had all six of his dogs with him. Night looked back and saw this, and he knew that Balto probably wouldn't survive anyway. He could still have some fun with Aniu.

When Boris realized who was coming, he lifted a board off the deck of the boat and shoved Balto down inside just as Steele appeared. Boris looked up at him nervously.

"Hello, is there something I can do for you?"

Steele put his nose to Boris and took a deep breath. A growl rumbled deep inside his body.

"Where is the mutt?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"Balto, whatever his name is. Where is he?"

The other dogs had taken to sniffing around the boat when Kaltag stepped on the board, removing it from its place and exposing the wolf dog they were after.

"Boss, he's down there!"

Balto leapt up and slashed at Kaltag, the dog taking a step back to avoid it. Nikki rushed him and he jumped up, pushing himself off the dogs back, over Steele, and over the side of the boat to the ground nine feet below. Balto landed awkwardly, giving the dogs a few seconds to catch up with him. Their master saw the wolf dog. He considered shooting it but decided he'd let them have it. He had three more prizes to collect anyways.

"Fan out," Steele ordered, "force him to go into town."

The dogs did as they were told. Balto felt like he was flying, running the fastest he'd ever gone. It felt amazing despite the impending doom, but even then they were gaining on him. Balto knew they were going to trap him. He willed himself to go faster, but it was these dogs' jobs to run, and there was no way he was going to outrun them, at least not yet.

The funneled him into town, leading Balto exactly where they wanted. He made a break for the hiding place he'd used before, turning sharply down the alleyway between the two houses, making a dive for the place.

"No you fucking don't!" Steele growled, diving for Balto at exactly the same time. He caught the wolf dogs tail in his teeth and pulled Balto out of his hiding place and flinging him against the side of the building. The hard wood didn't give an inch.

Balto, despite being breathless and dazed, still was able to turn and slash at Steele. The malamute took the blow like it was nothing, hitting Balto over and over. His friends surrounded them but didn't join in, they were afraid of the intensity of Steele's rage. Balto felt himself slipping away from the world. Maybe what he'd said earlier was true, maybe the peace and tranquility of death wasn't so bad.

Steele was elated. This little thing would pay for biting him. Steele felt lucky that he hadn't contracted some sort of disease from the injury. After a minute of waiting Star stepped forward.

"I think he's had enough…"

"I'll decide when he's had enough! Leave if you don't want to see it!"

The other dogs stood for a second before shrugging and turning away, all of them hoping that Steele wouldn't kill Balto. He didn't deserve that. Steele turned back to the dizzy, breathless, and bleeding Balto and gazed down upon him, his eyes glittering with triumph.

"I got you."

Steele went to hit Balto again but was stopped by a menacing growl which echoed down from above him.

"Get. Away, from him." it said.

A dark grey furred husky dropped down from the roof above, his blue eyes glinting dangerously. Steele met the icy stare.

"You're not going to take my prize away from me." Steel retorted, thinking that this dog wanted Balto. He was correct about that, but was off on the reasoning. "What are you anyways, a wolf lover?"

"Yes, I am a wolf lover, and yes, I am going to take _my _son away from you." The dog moved so fast and was so impossibly strong Steele didn't even have time to blink. Within three seconds he found himself pinned to the ground, totally at the mercy of Balto's strange savior.

"You're his… father?"

"I am. And remember this; you're living tonight because I let you." With that the grey husky sank his teeth deep into the scruff of Steele's neck and lifted him up, throwing him hard against the building with a loud thud, waking the people inside it. Storm kicked him twice, ensuring Steele was well and truly knocked out before taking a look at Balto. The last thing the wolf dog saw was Storm's eyes gazing into his own.

"I'm sorry Balto… I'm so very sorry." Storm whispered into his sons ear before lifting him up, leaving Steele where he lay.

…

Aniu's soul was filled with hope when she saw Night return missing three wolves, and without any trace of her son.

"He got away didn't he?"

Night had considered lying to her, but he didn't need to.

"He got away from _us, _yes. He didn't get away from the hunter and those dogs though. If he's still alive, he won't be for much longer."

Any hope that'd been left in the white wolf was drained then, and she didn't even try to stop it. She was probably the last one of her family left alive. She wanted so very much to just die, for Night to kill her too so she could go and be with her family in the next life. She knew that wouldn't happen though, as Night would never let her do such a thing to herself.

"It's okay Aniu." Night assured her, the tone of his voice oddly comforting. He turned to his pack, "We leave tomorrow. There is nothing left for us here."

He turned back to Aniu, who kept her face hidden beneath her paws.

"By the time we're done with you," Night said menacingly, "you'll be wishing it was you who had killed Balto."

.

Right here folks is a whole other conflict for the future. My head is filling with ideas as I type this, so I'm off to go write them down. Thanks to all those who Favorited the story, I've had more of those alerts in the past few days than I can even count. Glad y'all are enjoying these stories.

ANonymouS


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

(As always, hope y'all enjoy this, and thanks for the reviews/favorites. It makes me feel good that people want to read it, and a big thanks goes out to everyone! R&R please!)

Balto couldn't feel see anything, feel anything, or smell anything. He quickly found out why he couldn't see, as his eyes were closed, but why he couldn't feel or smell anything was beyond him. Last thing he remembered was being beaten, and then someone had come to his rescue… maybe he was dead?

When he looked up that assumption was quickly reinforced, as the soft furred red and white female staring down at him was extremely beautiful, and combined with the blurry light behind her, she looked like some sort of majestic angel.

"I must be dead…" Balto thought, unaware that he'd said that out loud.

The female in front of him laughed a little.

"Quite to the contrary, you're still very much alive."

"How? There's no way something as pretty as you couldn't possibly be alive!"

She frowned at this, but quickly put this strange canines words down as the craziness the doctors had said would happen. They'd had to give him a lot of pain killers to help, and they'd warned, she'd heard the doctor say to her owner, 'He might be a little delusional when he wakes up."

Balto quickly realized what he'd said as his vision became clearer, and the once majestic white light behind the female quickly became nothing more than a burning lamp.

"Oh… I am still alive. Sorry." Balto whispered sheepishly.

"You're fine, the doctors warned us that would happen."

"The doctors?" Balto looked around and found himself in a human house, lying on human blankets, with a human cloth thing wrapped around his front left leg. "Who are they? How'd I get here, who are you?" Balto exclaimed, panicking.

"Settle down," the husky said, placing a paw on Balto's shoulder, "you're safe here."

"But… how? I thought for sure I was dead…"

"I don't know what happened either, not fully. Someone brought you to our door, and asked if we could help… my little girl, Rosy convinced her parents to help you. They took you to the doctors, who treated you as best they could. You've been out for almost two days now."

Balto nodded, taking everything in.  
>"Who brought me here?"<p>

"He never told us his name… he was a grey husky, blue eyes… I don't know where he went, even though he didn't say… I could tell that he didn't want to leave you here; it hurt him a lot to do so. I don't know where he is now."

"Okay… may I ask, what is your name? I'm Balto."

She took a breath to reply, when a young girl, no older than maybe seven bounded into the room, jumping up and pointing at Balto.

"Mommy, he's waking up!"

Balto shrunk away from her, human hands had only ever given him pain, and he wasn't any more trusting of them now.

"It's okay boy, no one's gonna hurt you." The little girl bent down and put a hand gently between Balto's ears. She rubbed the back of his neck, and he let out a loud 'hmmm' and allowed himself to relax. The girl kept petting him, and Balto gradually warmed up to her. Of course as soon as he was enjoying it, the little girl's father pulled her away from him.

"Rosy! I thought I told you to stay away from him!" The girl's mother said, coming into the room as well and pointing a vehement finger at her daughter.

"But mama, he's not gonna hurt anyone!"

"We don't know that sweetie." The father replied gently.

"But look at him… he doesn't look like he could hurt anything..."

"The doctors said he bit a man's dog, Rosy, we don't want the same thing to happen to you. He may be nice and loving now, but he could change at any instant… he's a wolf dog, they're very dangerous." The father said. "We're taking enough of a chance letting him stay here now."

"But everyone's so mean to him! He couldn't survive out there with a hurt leg. I bet that mean dog Steele did it."

"He was allowed to stay in here until he woke up. We're going to move him out to the shed now, and you're not to go near it. Do you hear me?"

Rosy hung her had in disappointment. "Yes sir, I won't go near him."

"Good, now it's past your bedtime isn't it?"

At this, the little girl hurried off to go do whatever it was she needed to get ready for bed. The man then extended his hands toward Balto. He shrunk away but didn't show any signs of hostility. Maybe this wolf dog wasn't so bad. He took Balto outside to a small shack. There wasn't much inside of it, except for a soft and comfortable looking bed upon which Balto was placed. After that he closed the door as much as was possible, and then went back inside, leaving Balto alone with his thoughts.

Balto sat and thought for a while, trying to remember if he'd ever met any grey huskies. Just like always though, his mind drew a blank. So he went on to think about the people that were kind enough to take care of him. _Maybe I can get these people to trust me, _Balto thought, it would be tough to as he was already facing down a load of mistrust. They'd heard about his attacking Steele, which had been nothing to the abuse said malamute had put Balto through.

"My name is Jenna."

Balto looked up and saw the red husky standing in the doorway. He hadn't heard her and wondered how long she'd been standing there.

"Oh, nice name."

"Thanks… yours is nice too."

"You really think so?" Balto asked, his voice full of hope.

"Yes I really think so." Jenna replied, stepping further into the shed so she could sit beside Balto.

"Do they know you're out here?"

"Nah, they're asleep. Besides this is where I usually would sleep anyway…"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Balto said, and tried to pull himself off of the bed he was on.

"Don't worry about it. We just came to this town, and we're still trying to get ourselves set up."

Balto nodded, having just received some important information, albeit not directly. If they were new to this town, and had _already _heard about him that meant he was pretty far down in most of the townsfolk's eyes.  
>"For what it's worth, I think they're wrong about you. You have a good heart Balto, it's a shame to see them hurting you so much."<p>

"Ah, I'm used to it by now." Balto replied, feeling a little bit uncomfortable with the topic, "You probably better stay away from me… I wouldn't want them to hurt you too just for feeling bad for me. You don't deserve the punishment."

"And you do?"

Balto though for a moment, "More than you do."

Jenna's disappointment was evident, even though she tried to keep it hidden, "Well… I suppose I should be getting back inside now. Sleep well Balto."

She waited a few moments for the wolf dog to reply, but nothing came. With a disappointed sigh she turned and went back towards the house. Balto felt bad for brushing her off like that, he wanted another canine friend more than anything else in the world! What he had said was true though. If she was new here she still had a chance to become popular and make friends. She couldn't do that if she was seen with _him _though.

Balto pushed the feelings away and simply sat for a while, thinking about these new people and the chance he had with them. If there was any way he was going to gain trust, it would have to be through them. He resolved then and there to do his best to be friendly, not that it would be hard for him, he far preferred kindness to torment any day. He looked outside and up into the night sky, thanking whatever was up there for the new chance he'd been given.

…

Balto took it easy for the next week, as all he could really do without being in considerable pain was eat, drink, and sleep. It was some sort of not-so-pleasant tasting dry crunchy stuff, but Balto was thankful that he was even getting food. His usual activity would be to simply sit in the shed alone. Rosy or Jenna would sneak out occasionally to see him, but their visits were few and far between. All in all it was the longest week of the young wolf dog's life, and he was grateful on the ninth morning when there was a wonderful change of pace.

It started off like all other mornings. Balto would wake up; stretch himself out as best he could, then eat his food. But where the food bowl usually was, this time sat Jenna, her eyes focused on him, but she didn't really seem to be seeing him as she hadn't said anything yet.

"G'Morning." Balto said to get her attention.

"Oh," Jenna muttered, shaking her head, "Morning. Sorry, I was daydreaming…"

"About what?" Balto asked curiously.

Jenna looked away as she answered, "Oh it was nothing, nothing that matters anyway…"

Balto, not having much experience with canine to canine contact, other than his brutal treatment let it go at that.

"So, where's my food?"

"Outside."

"Why's it there?"

"Because, you do nothing but sit in here each day waiting to be catered to. Today you're going to walk for your food."

Balto was pleasantly surprised and agreed to the idea, wanting very much to get up and stretch out.

"I'll be here if you need help now, don't be afraid to tell me."

Balto nodded, and tried to lift himself up. He wobbled a little and Jenna hurried to his side, allowing him to lean his left shoulder on her. He rose unsurely, slightly off balance on only three legs. Jenna slowly removed her support and Balto managed to stay up, his injured left leg a few inches off the ground. With Jenna's help when he needed, Balto was able to limp out the door, through the grassy yard, up the steps to the back porch where his food and water bowls were.

Jenna sat on the back porch enjoying the sun. Summer had already given way to autumn and the warm days were becoming limited. Balto wished that he could be spending them without an injury, but he didn't have any real complaints. He had made two new friends in Jenna and Rosy, and even their parents were slowly coming around. After eating, Balto practiced walking around the yard some more, Jenna helping him when he needed. It felt really good to be up and moving, and he was itching to go for a run.

The days following this one were quite similar, with Balto gradually becoming better and better at walking, to the point where he could move in an awkward jog like limping thing. By week three of his treatment, Rosy's parents trusted Balto enough to allow her to play with Balto, but only under their supervision. She had a red rubber ball which she would throw and let the two canines chase it. They took turns in doing so, but Jenna let Balto chase it more, he needed the exercise.

By week four Balto was due in for a checkup at the doctor. He was slightly nervous about it, but Jenna told him there was nothing to worry about. Rosy's father, whose name Balto had later learned to be William, escorted Balto, Jenna, and Rosy to the doctor. Apparently the husky needed to go in too, so William had just decided to take them both in at the same time.

The whole family received some funny and threatening stares, and it was all Balto could do to keep himself from running.

"Ignore them." Jenna whispered in his ear.

Steele and his gang walked by going the opposite way. Balto and Steele locked gazes, but the malamute didn't say anything. Although he hadn't seen the grey husky since that night, and there hadn't been a trace of him since, his mind still feared some sort of rebuke if he were to attack the wolf dog, so he simply continued on his way.

The doctor wasn't busy at all and was glad to check on both Balto and Jenna. The female was healthy as could be, and was quite happy to be as such. But when the doctor took Balto back into a small room, alone, he got a little bit apprehensive. The doctor placed Balto down on a metal table, taking some equipment out of the cupboards and drawers and placing it out on the table beside Balto.

He took a long needle in his hand, causing Balto to immediately shrink away.

"It's alright buddy, this won't hurt but a bit." The doctor assured him gently. He stuck the needle into Balto, and its effect was almost instantaneous. The wolf dog felt himself get drowsy, but he didn't go to sleep. He watched with fascination as the doctor removed the cast from around his leg, throwing the material into a trash bucket. It was significantly smaller than his other leg, due to the lack of use. It didn't smell quite right either, but that was fixed by the doctors gentle cleaning of his leg. It was healing nicely, and in another few weeks he'd be free to go. As the new cast was put on his leg, Balto thought about what he'd do next. He knew that he was only allowed to stay in his current home because of his injury, so what would happen after that?

Would his life go back to what it had once been, everyone tormenting him, hating him, hurting him? Or was it possible that he would be allowed to stay with Jenna and Rosy? He so enjoyed being with them, two beings who didn't care what he was, but liked him because of _who _he was. So it was slightly annoying to him, although he didn't know why, when on the way home another young dog attempted to flirt with Jenna. She'd pushed him away easily, suggesting she knew quite well what she was doing.

"I get that all of the time, don't worry about it. I get a lot from that jerk, Steele he's nothing but an egomaniac, he and his friends."

Unbeknownst to both of them, the malamute was watching them from an invisible location. It angered him to see a wolf dog taking all of the attention that could've been directed at him, or at very least someone more worthy than Balto, and he was tempted then and there to go finish the task he'd started about four weeks earlier. Balto would likely be protected by both Rosey and her dad though, and even Steele wouldn't go against a human. Besides, that grey husky might still be around… a shiver went down Steele's spine as he thought of that dog.

He wondered if the husky was really Balto's father, or was just some crazy dog who'd said that because he was crazy. It was the fact the dog had taken him down in less than ten seconds and that he was so impossibly strong. That kind of strength was something that one often became capable of when one saw someone they cared about being hurt, so it was quite possible that actually had been Balto's father. If that was so though, why had he left? Steele knew the answer was probably because the dog couldn't help his son heal fully, so he'd left him with someone who could. But when he'd returned to the same place with his friends a day later, there was no trace the dog had ever been there, no scent, no fur, nothing.

So it was probably safe to continue his torment of Balto, but he'd refrain at least until the dog was better. Maybe he wouldn't kill Balto. The wolf dog could be more useful to him alive, especially if he could be used to gain what Steele really wanted, Jenna. She was a pretty young female, and in a year or so would have males of all ages over her. Steele hoped to be the subject of her attention, and to do that he needed a pawn. Who better to use than Balto? Steele smiled and got up, the four having disappeared from his sight. He headed off to his friends, ready to make up some sort of plan to destroy Balto, this time for good.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

(A short update for y'all. Enjoy!)

If the first week of recovering was the longest of his life, the fifth was definitely the shortest. With two friends to spend the day with, an hour seemed to go by in a matter of a few minutes. William and Sara, Rosy's parents, had grown to trust Balto so much that they let her play alone with him outside. They weren't allowed to go outside of the yard, but that limitation didn't dampen their collective spirits any.

He didn't ever abuse their trust; the little girl was so kind to him, as was Jenna. They were both true friends. There came a night when Balto was tired, sore, and ready to curl up when Jenna stopped him. She was accompanied by Rosy.

"You can come inside, tonight, if you want Balto."

"I can what?" Balto asked incredulously, not sure I he'd heard Jenna right. Rosy confirmed what he'd heard though.

"Come on boy, let's go in the house! It's much nice than out here!" the girl called, already on her way back to said house. Balto shrugged and followed Jenna in.

He was able to walk at an almost normal pace, the red furred husky at his side in case he needed help. Rosy held the door open for him, and he stepped inside timidly.

"Everything will be alright." Jenna assured him, sensing her friend's weariness.

Neither William nor Sara objected, so Balto took that as a good sign and continued on. Rosy led him through the small kitchen, into the family room and to a door. She opened it and went inside, hopping up on her bed and covering herself with the sheet and quilt. Jenna followed her up, but Balto hesitated. Rosy noticed this, and called him up.

"Come on Balto!" Rosy patted the bed, inviting him up. He was able to climb up without much trouble from his leg, settling down on the soft material, sinking into it. Rosy lay between the two canines, putting an arm around each.

"See? Everything's fine." Jenna said warmly, giving Balto a kind smile.

"Oh it's more than fine, this is the most comfortable bed I've ever been in!" as if to accentuate that point, Balto sunk down further into the material. Sara came into the room a moment later. She shook her head and smiled at the situation before her.

"You going to be okay like that Rosy?"

"Oh yeah, we'll be just fine! G'night mom!"

"Good night dear."

Sara turned the light off and shut the door halfway before exiting the room. She and William spoke in hushed tones outside, and Balto heard his name mentioned a couple of times before they too went to bed.

Despite how nice the bed was, and how dark the house was, the wolf dog just couldn't fall asleep. He lay wide awake, simply staring at Rosy and Jenna. For how long, he didn't know. They both slept so peacefully, and he couldn't take his eyes off them. He was content here, and would've had no objections to time stopping at that point and just letting him stare at the two before him.

With a jolt Balto remembered Boris, who he'd completely forgotten about for almost six weeks! Balto chided himself, the goose would be so worried about him, but Balto was sure he'd understand when he heard about Jenna and Rosy. He'd be happy for Balto. And it wasn't like he could walk out there anyways, that was way too far. He'd be an open target for anyone, and if that Night was still around… The clock in the family room chimed twice, and Balto realized just how late it was. He settled himself in, Rosy's arm hugging him closer.

…

Balto was awoken by a loud knock at the front door, and he looked up drearily. Jenna and Rosy were already out of the room, both in the kitchen eating their breakfast. At the sound of someone at the door, both came into the family room again. William set down his book, got up and went to the door. He immediately wished he hadn't. As soon as he opened it, another man rushed in, with a dog that was none other than Steele. The man pointed a finger at William.

"I heard you're keepin' that wolf dog here. Is it true?"

"Yes, he hasn't caused us any problems-"

"I don't care. It's about what he can cause. Do you trust him around your little girl? He could turn wild at any moment, that wolf blood running through his veins…" As he said this, Steele's master glanced at Balto.

"I want him."

"No!" Rosy exclaimed from behind her mother, who quickly shushed her.

"Why?" William inquired.

"To get him out of our town, I don't want this threat in here."

Balto watched with fear in his very soul. The look Steele was giving him was enough to send shivers through his whole body. William called him off of Rosy's bed, and Balto crawled off, being careful not to hurt or strain his healing leg. He stepped up at William's side. He had grown a lot during the treatment, and Steele didn't quite look as dangerous as he once had.

"He doesn't look like a threat to me, he's been nothing but gentle with our daughter and Jenna."

"He's a smart dog, I can tell. He could be foolin' you though. Are you willing to take that risk?"

"Yes, I am." William reached a hand out to touch Balto, and that was when Steele made his move. He'd circled around so he couldn't be seen when he made the move, and as soon as the hand was within three inches of Balto, Steele slammed a paw down on the wolf dogs back paw, causing him to let out something between a pained and angry growl. William pulled his hand back instantly, Jenna, Rosy, and Sara all looking on in horror. Balto so very much wanted to turn around and claw Steele, but he knew that would just stun them further.

"Why Balto?" Jenna whispered.

"But, I didn't-"

He was cut off as the other man grabbed him by his neck, clamping a chain around him and choking him to keep him calm.

"See? We can't trust him."

William looked away in disappointment. This man was right, "Go on, take him then."

"You're making the right choice. Let's go Steele."

Balto was dragged out of the house, the man hauling him not even caring about the wolf dogs injured leg. The pained looks of fear and betrayal on the faces of Jenna and Rosy would haunt him for some time, and the wolf dog felt a sort of deep, angry fire burning inside of him. He was sick of Steele and the treatment he endured. As soon as he was better, he would show all of them a thing or two about torment.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Balto was taken to the boiler room, somewhere he never dared to go, as it was the place where all the dogs would gather. Luckily he was thrown into a space next to said boiler, a grate being slammed in his face and effectively trapping him in the small, dusty, dirty area. He could hear the dogs outside talking quietly, and tried to listen in.

"Hello." Balto whirled around so fast he surprised himself. The shadowy figure of a dog stepped into the light and Balto had to hold in a surprised gasp. Before him was the dog Jenna had described. Dark grey fur, blue eyes…

"Wh-who are you?" he stammered.

"The one who saved you."

"I know that, my friend told me you left me at her door… but why did you even help me?"

The grey dog looked away, sadness in his eyes. "Because… because I can't stand to see dogs torment you just because you're different. That Steele, to say I'd like to kill him is a _big_ understatement." The dog growled.

"But why would you even care, what do I even matter to you?"

_You matter to me more than you know, _Storm thought. Instead of answering the question though, he turned and retreated back into the shadows. Balto limped after him, flicking his ears to clear them of the cobwebs collected there. The place was an absolute mess, all sorts of random junk littering the ground underneath what Balto recognized as the doctor's office. The dog stopped at another grate in the floor above them, bring white light from a lamp shining down and lighting the whole area.

"See this?" The dog held his right paw over a pile of broken glass.

"Don't step on it."

The dog rolled his eyes and pointed at the wall behind Balto.

"Look there."

With that, the dog moved the bits of broken glass into the light of the lamp just right and the whole wall lit up, flashing a rainbow of brilliant colors all from the simple pieces of glass and light from the lamp.

"Your own mini aurora."

"Amazing…" Balto breathed, it was just like he imagined the aurora to look! If this was so amazing, he couldn't wait to see the real aurora. Balto looked over to the dog and was immediately entranced in the deep blue eyes. He saw directly into the dog's soul. These lights held memories of great significance. There was a lot this grey husky could tell him, Balto felt it. His eyes clouded over before Balto could tell anything more, and the dog turned away.

"Who are you?" Balto asked again, this time with a lot more force.

"I can't tell you that, if I did… well I wouldn't even go there. It doesn't matter right now anyway, what's done is done. You'll figure out who I am, all in good time Balto."

"What kind of answer is that?" Balto cried, suddenly frustrated, "You know something, I can _feel_ it!"

The dog looked away again. Footsteps sounded on the floor above and Balto quickly realized his mistake. The doctor, who was finishing up some work, heard something of a growl come from below and bent down to peer into the darkness beneath the grate. The aurora vanished instantly, the grey dog putting it out. The doctor gasped in shock when he realized who was down there.

"Balto! What on earth are you doing down there? Hang on a minute, I'll get you out."

The good man got some sort of little tool and used it to pry the heavy metal grate out of its position. Balto looked over to where the grey husky had been, about to ask if he was going to come out too, but the dog was gone. He frowned, but couldn't do much else as the doctor pulled him out, replacing the grate once Balto was out. He then led the wolf dog to a small containment room for sick animals and put him in a kennel. He had already heard about Balto's growling at William, and just wanted to be safe. Only one other dog, a female husky about his age of eight months was in there.

The doctor left him inside. He could feel the female's gaze on him so he turned to look back. She was quite pretty, with sparkling green eyes. She had a light grey and white coat that seemed to shine in the light of the room.

"You're Balto aren't you?" she asked curiously, no hostility in her tone.

"I am," Balto answered.

She squinted at him and peeked through the bars on her kennel, trying to get a better look.

"You don't look like the ferocious killer they make you out to be, in fact, you look kind of nice."

"Oh, thank you." Balto said, not sure of how else to reply.

"Oh, excuse my manners, my name is Nova! It's nice to meet you Balto!"

"Nice to meet you too."

Balto spent the next amount of time chatting quietly with Nova. She was a young sled dog in training, and had broken her leg as well. She was fully healed now though, and was simply waiting for her master to come and pick her up. She was a kind young dog, but was probably not afraid because she hadn't heard about Balto's 'growl' at William. Balto could only wonder what kind of rumors were floating around now.

At that moment Nova's master, a big man with a black jacket on entered the room. Balto could see the fear in her eyes when he went to put the leash around her.

"Maybe I'll see you around Balto." Was all she had time to say before the door was slammed, and Balto was left alone once again.

…

The last three weeks were the worst. He'd thought the first week was bad. That was heaven compared to this. He sat almost all day, cramped up in that little room. He could feel the strength that he'd worked so hard to build up seeming to just pour out of him each day. After night the doctor would let him out and take him on short walks, and that helped, but it wasn't enough. Balto was itching to run. His physical health wasn't the only thing taking a toll though. His mental health was taking a dip as well.

All of this was because of Steele. _If that malamute hadn't stepped on my foot, _Balto thought_, then I wouldn't even be cramped up in here and I'd still be having fun with Jenna and Rosy._

He wondered what they thought of him now, if they were just weary or down right scared of him. When he thought about this it only enraged him more, and Balto wanted so much to just find him and return even just a fraction of the pain that had been bestowed upon him at the hands of that dog. Balto was slowly turning, letting the beast inside of him take over. It was the product of his bored self, and each day the images became a lot more vivid.

At first he had resisted the images, but as time had gone on, with nothing to do but sit there he'd progressively allowed more and more to come into his mind, until on the last day he was ready to simply go out, tackle Steele and kill him with everyone watching. Balto knew it was wrong, and he half hoped that once he was free again he would stop thinking like this. Maybe he could regain Jenna and Rosy's trust.

On the final day the doctor took him out and cut his cast off. The man ran his hands up and down Balto's leg, feeling for any abnormalities. It was healed perfectly, all Balto needed now was some exercise.

The people in the town had also made the doctor promise that he would release Balto back into the wild once he was better. No one wanted to see him again, and he would probably be shot if he was seen again. So the doctor led him to the edge of town, before releasing him. Balto simply sat for a while, before taking off towards the old boat. He just had to see Boris again and let the goose know he was alright. Despite being out of shape, Balto was still able to run fairly decently, and his leg wasn't as bad as he'd thought. It'd take a few weeks before he was back to normal, but he was very okay with that.

It was about a three mile jog from where the doctor had left him to the boat on the shore, and Balto couldn't have enjoyed it more. The winter was on its way, the fields around him all dying, and the sun going further south. Where the fields ended and the sand started was Balto's favorite part, the sand working its way beneath his paws. The old wooden plank he used to climb onto the boat felt good as well, and Balto excitedly leapt up onto it, taking it in one stride.

The snow goose on the boat whirled around in terror, and he raised his wings defensively. Boris lowered them promptly upon realizing who was standing before them, and he threw his appendages around the wolf dog's neck.

"Balto! I didn't think I'd see you again!" Boris took a step backwards, noticing the difference in Balto's two legs; he cocked his head to one side. "What happened to you Balto?"

"It was broken. After I ran that night, Steele chased me into town and cornered me. He broke my leg and would've killed me had… had that grey husky not shown up. The dog left me at someone's doorstep. They took me to the doctor and he fixed me up." Balto proceeded to tell Boris the rest of the story, leaving out the parts about his bad thoughts towards Steele. He had been right, now that he was free, the thoughts were disappearing rapidly. He only hoped it would stay that way.

.

I almost forgot about the mini aurora thing there, but I guess that's what youtube is for. There are a couple things I'd like to say, and the second might come as a surprise.

The first is about the seemingly random character, Nova, I put into that little part. She and another character of mine were the first OC's I'd ever made, and were part of the first story I've ever written. They've had at least seven different stories since then, some twisting with 'Balto', and some not. She will become an important character in future stories, when the other OC enters as well. Just wanted to introduce her.

The second thing is, after much consideration and writing today in study hall, I've decided the next chapter will be the last. This is probably a surprise, it certainly was to me. I just think that the ending of that chapter is a great way to end this story. It's all ready to be posted, but I'm gonna wait until tomorrow, give y'all something to (hopefully) look forward to.

Hope this was enjoyable to read, I had fun makin' it.

ANonymouS


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

(Sorry, FanFiction was bein' stupid and wouldn't let me upload this for two days. Anyways, enjoy.)

The next weeks were interesting for Balto. He would see the sled dogs in training, doing their various runs and different exercises. Steele and his friends were among them and even though Balto didn't like them he had to admit they were impressive workers. So to aid in his recovery, Balto had taken to copying their training as best he could, and within three more weeks he'd grown back stronger than before, all of his skills, hunting, running, stalking, were greatly improved. Another benefit with Steele being so busy training was that it was safer for him to go into town, which was good because winter was driving most of the natural prey away.

Balto hadn't seen any more of the grey husky, he had just disappeared. On a specific night though, Balto had learned that Steele and his team were to participate in a dogsled race at only two years old. Even though they were the youngest, they were good, and already had many bet on them. But for every bet they won, two went against them, simply because of the age. This made the whole team train twice as hard, all of them desperate to prove the world wrong.

Balto was glad Steele would be leaving, but couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he won. That would increase Steele's already high self-esteem, and make bigger his already huge ego, and Balto feared that. It was very likely Steele would come after Balto and crush him simply because of the increase in said ego.

So even as the weather got colder, he would take long runs down the beach, sometimes not returning for two or three days. He built his strength up and could feel it flowing through him. After only four weeks since the removal of his cast he felt stronger than ever before no one would've ever been able to guess he'd been injured.

Despite his feeling amazing physically, he felt horrible emotionally. Balto wanted to see Jenna and Rosy again. So late one night, as the first light snow fell he made his way into the town and was happy to find it almost completely deserted, and those that were still outside quickly made their way in. It was already dark, the only light provided by the warm glow coming from the windows of the houses. Balto was able to walk like he owned the place and got a taste of what Steele must've felt like. It felt good, but Balto preferred peace over power any day. He stopped at the home where his friends lived and sat, staring at the warm looking house.

It made him feel warm inside to think about them, and the wolf dog closed his to just let the peaceful silence of it all wash over him. He could almost see them in the house…

"Something on your mind?" Balto whirled around, coming face to face with Steele. He looked around for Steele's other friends but didn't see them. Steele noticed this.

"Afraid of something?"

"No."

"Oh, trying to be brave for the girl." Steele taunted and looked toward the house where none other than the red husky herself stood in the now open door, staring at both of them.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Balto growled, taking a step toward the malamute.

"Balto don't." Jenna said calmly, kicking the door shut behind her as she approached the two, "You don't have to prove anything to me."

Balto stood and considered her words.

"You know, he's dangerous Jenna. He might try to hurt or kill both of us."

Balto growled again, narrowing his eyes. Steele braced himself, ready to meet the wolf dog if he attacked.

"You," Jenna spoke, turning to Steele, "are a sick dog, you care only about yourself and you use him to better yourself just because he's different, if anyone in this town deserves to be shunned it's you."

Steele cocked his head and listened with growing amusement.

"Does this wolf dog really mean that much to you Jenna? I'd have thought someone such as yourself would be more careful with who they spent their time with."

"I'd rather spend my time with Balto than be with any of you." Jenna retorted, "He's got a purer heart than any of you could dream. He's the only truly good canine I've seen in this town."

Steele shrugged, knowing now that he wouldn't win this fight.

"Just be careful Jenna, he might bite."

Balto stood stiff until Steele disappeared and only then let out the breath he just realized he'd been holding in. He relaxed his posture and took a look over at Jenna.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"It's true, what I said. You're better than any of them. You'll prove that someday, but it won't be through fighting. They'd only win that way."

"I know that… I'm just sick of him. He stepped on my foot, that's why they think I growled at William. I didn't mean to do it."

"I figured as much. He's a dirty dog, and what's a shame is how he attracts all the females with those dirty acts."

"Except for you," Balto pointed out, "and you're the one he wants."

Jenna smiled at this, "I know, I make him so angry."

Balto and Jenna stood in silence for a few moments before a call from Rosy got Jenna's attention.

"I better go, you should leave too."

"I will."

"Don't do anything rash Balto. I expect this is the last time I'll see you for a while and I _do _want to see you again."

"I'll be careful, and I'd like to see you again too."

Jenna touched his nose gently before turning around and heading back towards the door. Balto stood in shock for a few moments, as his brain caught up with him. He shook it off though and started back towards his home. He now had a true reason to live, actually two, Rosy and Jenna. Although he didn't know then what would happen in the future, Balto knew Jenna was right. There would come a day that he would be able to prove himself, and when that day came he'd be ready.

Jenna stood in the door and watched as Balto made his way out of town. Once he was out of sight the red husky looked over to a roof across the street from her home. On it stood the grey husky, whose name she figured out was Storm. She knew who he was; he had told her. Jenna could see the sadness in his eyes, sadness at having to leave his son behind. But she also saw the gratitude. Storm trusted her to be Balto's friend, and to help him like he would've until he could return. While she didn't know what Storm had to do, it was obviously important. Storm nodded to her and she returned the gesture before turning around and going into her house.

Storm was indeed sad. He hated to leave Balto without telling him the truth, but it was necessary. If Balto knew the truth, then he wouldn't be around at that moment, the moment in which he would shine. Storm knew Balto would be fine and would eventually beat Steele and gain the trust of the townsfolk. That would happen in a little more than two years from this point, on February 2nd, 1925.

..

I hope y'all liked this ending as much as I do. I was gonna have them fight, and this go on for about nine more chapters, but when I wrote this version I loved it, it all just seemed to flow so well out onto the paper and then onto the Microsoft word program. Next story will probably be a short one about the adjusting of life after the night that made him famous, but I can't think of any good titles for it. I'd appreciate any ideas guys. I'm gonna take a break though to focus on another story, as that one is probably gonna be a monster. Don't know how long I'll be able to stay away though.

Thanks for all the reviews/favorites, they really truly mean a lot more than I can say. Thank you all for reading this, I hope you're lookin' forward to the next addition as much as I am.

ANonymouS789


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